“Factory workers [in Burma] want better jobs, higher wages and the freedom to organize,” said Solidarity Center Director of Asia Programs Tim Ryan. And while they are hopeful for the possibilities that foreign companies and new investment can bring, they also want their new government to ensure that companies will stop trying to destroy their unions and “game the system” around the new national minimum wage approved shortly before the election.

An article originally posted by Food Tank, which includes the Solidarity Center in its list of organizations working on health, safety, and worker rights in the global food industry, has been picked up by the Huffington Post.

Ultimately, the path to ending the forced labor, trafficking and other abuses of migrant workers in Malaysia demands the adoption and aggressive enforcement of all ILO core labor standards, such as freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining and an end to practices such as debt bondage. It’s extremely important that the world is now focused on the plight of these exploited migrant workers, but it’s equally important to recognize that these abuses exist because of the broader environment of labor injustice for all workers of Malaysia.